The Election Commission said exit polls cannot be conducted or published from 7am on April 9 until 6.30pm on April 29 for the five council elections to be held this month.
It also warned that conducting or broadcasting exit polls in this period is a violation of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act 1951 and is “punishable with imprisonment for up to two years, a fine or both”.
While Kerala, Assam and Puducherry will hold local body elections on April 9, elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23.
In West Bengal, elections will be held in the state on April 23-29.
While the 48-hour ‘silent period’ will begin in Kerala and Puducherry at 6 pm on Tuesday, it will begin at 5 pm in Assam.
The silent period means the end of the electoral campaign 48 hours before the end of the voting hour in a particular electoral district or the entire state.
Except for door-to-door campaigning conducted by a limited number of party workers or candidates, no other form of campaigning is permitted. But in the digital age, this is difficult to apply.
Voting usually takes place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. But the timing varies depending on the terrain and security situation.
